I think in NC, if it hasn't changed in the last few years,
you become tenured once you actually are hired back in the
system and begin teaching the 4th year. Before that you can
be let go with no explanations necessary.

On 5/16/09, Disillusioned GA Teacher wrote:
> I am a third year GA teacher who is very disillusioned
> with the GA laws. I was told back in February that I was
> being laid off for next school year due to budget cuts and
> also because I did not have "tenure." The administrators
> explained that in GA, a teacher can only be tenured if he
> or she has taught in any GA school for 4 years. I
> explained that I have 4 years teaching experience in all,
> with my first year of teaching in SC and the subsequent
> three at my current school in GA. They said that the
> first year in SC did not matter. What is worse, is that I
> found out several days after my lay off notice, that they
> are actually giving my 4th grade position to a high school
> Spanish teacher who can no longer teach Spanish due to the
> fact that she has not passed a test for certification in
> Spanish. I questioned this to my principal and she
> informed me that they were obligated to give her a
> teaching job because she has tenure by teaching Spanish
> for 17 years regardless of the fact that something is
> wrong with her certification. The principal and
> superintendent have acknowledged to me that something is
> indeed wrong with her certification. I was under the
> impression that it is every teacher's responsibility to
> keep up with certification requirements or risk being
> terminated. I have called the teacher's association in GA
> and they told me that I do not have any rights because I
> was not offered a fourth contract - no tenure, and that I
> don't even have a right to a hearing or explanation of why
> I was not offered one. I informed him that they were
> basically using this tenure deal to accommodate another
> teacher with questionable certification - he did concur
> that it was a teacher's responsibility to keep up with
> certification, but if she had tenure, she was allowed some
> teaching job -may I add that this teacher is the
> superintendent's niece? Does SC have any tenure laws
> similar to this? Sorry this is so long, but I have worked
> my butt off for this place, and this is not right to do to
> any teacher and I have no recourse. Thank you for letting
> me get this off my chest.